Informal relationships in and among organizations can boost productivity and performance. Such relationships include ad hoc work, mentoring or other social networks.
According to University of Virginia's Rob Cross, "Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) can provide an x-ray into the inner workings of an organization -- a powerful means of making invisible patterns of information flow and collaboration in strategically important groups visible." ONA uses quantitative and mapping tools to chart peoples' roles and their networks in organizations. This analysis then applies this information to better tap such informal networks' energy, as well as to better complement formal hierarchical structures and processes.
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